The secret of lasting love

ON Friday, Joe and Jean Davidson spent their 72nd Valentine’s Day together.

The popular couple at the Illawarra Retirement Trust Village at Culburra Beach have been married for 70 years and while Jean insisted her husband looked after her for Valentine’s Day, Joe said it had become all too commercialised.

“I do believe Valentine’s Day is just a commercial excuse to try and make one day special,” he said.

“You shouldn’t need someone to tell you that a certain day is special. Every day is special.

“I don’t think we even had Valentine’s Day back then when we met.”

The couple met while Joe was serving in the Air Force at Cootamundra.

“We met at a local dance and just danced the night away,” Jean said.

As for Joe: “I thought she was a good sort and she still is.”

The couple have lived at the Culburra Village for more than three years, having previously spent 33 years at Callala Bay and 25 years in Sydney.

So, what’s their secret of 70 years of marriage?

Jean said it was just about being together, while Joe pointed at his wife and with a tear in his eye said there she is.

“It’s all about Jean,” he said.

Joe turns 92 on April 1 and Jean 94 in September.

“When we first met she put her age down by 20 months, I always thought she was younger than me,” he laughed.

“It wasn’t until we had to produce our birth certificates for the retirement pension that I discovered she was older than me.”

And do they have any advice for young couples who might be embarking on a relationship on Valentine’s Day?

“Just go along your own way, be yourself, don’t try to be someone you’re not, it won’t work,” Joe said.